As society began to migrate online, print journalism faced a reckoning. All the clickbait? The annoying banner and pop-up ads? Well-researched, -reported and -written stories sharing a page with embarrassing, misogynistic photo galleries of “hot babes” and cheerleaders? They’re all desperate attempts to undo what decision-makers in journalism did decades ago: Addicted the public to the idea that print news should be free, despite having intimate knowledge of just how expensive it is to mine that particular resource.

I joined The Athletic because it cuts out all the extra noise and busywork that’s become commonplace and lets journalists report and write. I can focus on telling great stories and better serving readers. I win. You win. Everyone is happier

The cyber naiveté of web-illiterate newspaper men cost the field its long-held stability and billions of dollars over decades, and it made it almost impossible to pursue a career in a field I’ve loved since I was 16 and making $50 a night writing game stories about junior high football games in Arkansas for the Benton County Daily Record.

That paper no longer exists. Neither does The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, where I covered high school football as a senior in high school.

The reckoning came for journalism and tossed the industry into bedlam.

Now, the answer has come for people who love to consume sports journalism, and it costs you less than a cup of coffee a month.

I joined The Athletic because we’re not looking for a subsidy or asking customers to support us with a donation. We’re hellbent on building an incredible team that makes sure you feel like the price of a subscription is a value, not a burden. Especially in college football. And you only need to poke around The Athletic’s site or stellar app for a few minutes to get a feel for everything else we offer.

It’s incredibly humbling to share a masthead with giants in our business such as Stewart Mandel and one of our newest hires, Bruce Feldman. Nobody who covers college football has more connections and insight, and that’s such a given it barely even needs to be said. And I didn’t even mention the dozen or so other talented, experienced teammates on our college football team that I’ve gotten to know and respect during my time in the business.

And me? I couldn’t be more excited to be in Knoxville to dig into Tennessee and get a front seat for Jeremy Pruitt’s attempt to make Tennessee football great again.

I’ve spent the past decade covering the sport in Big 12 country, but I grew up in Arkansas and was raised on SEC football.

Tennessee at its peak is one of college football’s most fun and tradition-rich programs. The days of Travis Henry, Jamal Lewis and Al Wilson made sure opposing fans left Neyland Stadium with their ears plugged and angry while Vols fans sang “Rocky Top” at the top of their lungs. I remember a pretty good quarterback named Peyton, too. Not sure what became of him, though.

It’s been a full 10 seasons since Tennessee won 10 games, a reality that was unthinkable in the Steve Spurrier-Phillip Fulmer heyday of the SEC East, when Fulmer did it seven times in 10 seasons, never winning fewer than eight games.

Say what you will about Tennessee’s bumbling attempts to recapture that glory, but it’s been compelling at every turn. There was Lane Kiffin angering pretty much everybody in one season before igniting a … we’ll say … passionate goodbye.

There were three unremarkable losing seasons from Derek Dooley, leaving behind only memories of a stool and a pair of pants. And when Butch Jones wasn’t battling for the mythical Champions of Life title belt, he was briefly coaching a Team of Destiny, even if its final destination was the Music City Bowl.

Now, it’s Pruitt’s turn. And whatever happens, it’s a safe bet the outcome will be enthralling. I’ll be here taking readers inside, drawing an honest depiction of what’s under the hood, whether it’s rosy or rotten.

I like to poke fun at the league’s pompous “It Just Means More” slogan that’s morphed into an entertaining meme, but it’s not inaccurate. If you’re a fan of an SEC team, you live, breathe and stress out over SEC football 365 days a year. That’s not true for the vast majority of other programs across the country.

Some say the SEC is only this popular and powerful because most of the states don’t have or care about professional sports.

I’d argue most of the states aren’t passionate about pro sports because they have the SEC. Just ask the Tennessee Titans or Jacksonville Jaguars.

What can you expect from me? My simplest aim is to tell you things you didn’t know. I want to make the people who read my work smarter, more informed fans, and entertain them along the way. I want to give you greater insight into the people you know and introduce you to people you should know. I want to find answers to questions every fan has and introduce you to questions you didn’t even know you should be asking.

David Ubben writes about Tennessee football for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, he covered college sports for ESPN, Fox Sports Southwest, The Oklahoman, Sports on Earth and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, as well as contributing to a number of other publications. Follow David on Twitter @davidubben.